Even though the Science of Losing Weight is simple, the process of losing weight can be much harder. I‘ve battled with weight loss for what feels like forever. Through all of the years of research and education, here are 10 sure proof ways to guarantee weight loss.
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1. Change your mind
You must first harness the power of your mind! Train your mind to understand that you aren’t restricting, you are providing new opportunities. Teach your mind to be positive, and you will find greater success.
2. Write it down
We are visual creatures. If you physically right down your goals and your calories in vs calories out your brain will identify it. Once you have written down your goals put it in a place where you constantly see it as a positive reminder. Do not let your self “best guess” everything, or “hope for the best”. You will not be as effective in obtaining your goals.
3. Choose Healthy Fuel
This is a no brainer, but the better foods you choose to fuel your body, the more energy you will have. Netflix has an awesome video out that is called Hungry for Change. I’d recommend watching it. Also, Food Inc is a good one to watch about processed food in the USA.
4. Choose FUN ways to burn calories
This goes along with changing your mindset to think of your weight loss journey as a positive experience. If you choose fun ways to burn calories you will be more likely to continue burning calories.
My very favorite way to work out are the Beachbody workouts. You can ask my husband, or anybody in my family for that matter. I think it is FUN. For me, running is the worst thing in the whole world. {okay, maybe not #1 worst thing, but it’s pretty close up there}. But to put in a dvd and work out with these awesome trainers, I KNOW I’m getting a good work out. The music is always fun, and you always feel awesome after you complete one. I’ve done P90, P90X, Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, Brazilian Butt Lift, Slim in Six, Insanity, Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Work Out and Hip Hop Abs. I would recommend them ALL! {My favorite is Challene Johnson – That’s the Turbo Fire}.
5. Increase your Calcium
It has been proven that by increasing your diet with calcium rich foods, you speed up weight loss up to 70% faster. These foods include yogurt, cheese, milk, etc.
6. Protein Builds Muscle
Try to incorporate protein into every meal. Protein maintains muscle mass and reduces body fat. Why? Protein contains an amino acid {called Leucine} that actually helps protect your muscles. You can think of it as protecting your muscle tissues from degrading. So when you are losing weight, this amino acid will actually help you lose fat and not muscle.
Leucine is found in food like beef, chicken, eggs, oats, beans, cow milk, corn, rice, peanuts, fish, salami, pork, salmon, and almonds.
7. Build Muscle
I’m not sure I totally believe the whole “muscle burns fat” theory, but I do know a few things about increasing muscle.
Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate.
This is a “thank you captain obvious” statement, but muscle-building activities are a great way to burn calories. The more major muscle groups you can incorporate into one exercise, the more calories you burn. So instead of just doing squats, try to do squats and shoulder presses at the same time. You will use more muscle groups and burn more calories at once.
8. Keep your metabolism high
Your metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories. Obviously the faster you can increase this rate the better.
There are a lot of ways to increase your metabolic rate. One of the best ways I know is to eat often. If your metabolism has to continue working {by processing food continually}, your metabolic rate will stay higher than say if you were to only eat 3 meals.
9. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!
Your body needs water!! And it needs water to process calories. If you are even slightly dehydrated your metabolic rate can slow down.
10. Stress increases fat
When your body is under stress, your liver excretes more sugar to help increase your energy. This is a good thing. However, if your stress levels are always high, that additional sugar is not good. Your body then stores that sugar and turns it into fat.
So, my best advice to you for losing weight is to not obsess about it. Yes, you need to learn how to lose weight, but you shouldn’t obsess about it. That will just be counter-productive. Find ways to lower your stress to ensure a more successful weight loss journey.
I truly believe that when you feel healthy, you feel happy! Have you tried any of these tips for weight loss? What has worked for you? Comment below!
